Legendary actor Gene Hackman passes away at 95

By Blair Marnell Published February 27, 2025

Just over two decades after retiring from Hollywood, legendary actor Gene Hackman has passed away at 95. The bodies of Hackman, his wife, Betsy Arakawa, 65, and their dog were found in their home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Via ABC News, the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s office performed a welfare check on Hackman and Arakawa on Wednesday, February 27, when the couple was found. No cause of death has been disclosed at press time.

Hackman’s career began with small roles in the late ’50s before he broke into film in 1961 with an uncredited role as a policeman in Mad Dog Coll. Ten years later, Hackman landed the part of Detective Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle in The French Connection, which earned him the Oscar for Best Actor for 1971. Two decades after that, Hackman won another Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven, which is widely regarded as one of the best westerns ever made.

One of Hackman’s most popular roles was his turn as Lex Luthor in Superman, which he reprised for Superman 2 and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. Hackman was a versatile performer who could effortlessly take on comedic roles in films like The Birdcage, while taking more serious roles in The Conversation and The Firm. Some of his best-known films include The Poseidon Adventure, Scarecrow, Under Fire, Enemy of the State,   and Runaway Jury.

The final movie of Hackman’s career was the comedy Welcome To Mooseport in 2004. During his retirement, Hackman wrote two novels, Payback at Morning Peak and Pursuit. But for most of the last 21 years, Hackman and his wife lived outside of the spotlight.